Contents

In the Bible

According to Josephus,[4] he lived at the time of Eli. Son of Rahab and Salma,[5][6] he was a rich landowner who noticed Ruth, the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, a relative of his (see family tree), gleaning grain from his fields. He soon learns of the difficult circumstances her family is in and Ruth's loyalty to Naomi. In response, Boaz invites her to eat with him and his workers regularly as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective eye on her.

Eventually, Boaz and Ruth strike up a friendship which leads to Ruth asking him to marry her. Boaz accepts, but cautions that there is a family member who has a superior right to her hand in marriage. However, he arranges a meeting with the relative and in the presence of ten town leaders convinces him to buy Naomi's husband's land. Once the relative agrees to redeem the land, Boaz informs him that in redeeming the land he is also required to take Ruth as his wife as was customary under the laws and culture of Israel. This was so Ruth could have children who could carry on her late husband's family name and keep the land in the family. At hearing this stipulation, the relative refused to buy the land for fear it would complicate his own inheritance (estate). At that point, he transferred his right to buy the land to Boaz. He did this by removing his sandal and handing it to Boaz. This was a customary symbol in Israel during the epoch for anyone transferring the right to purchase. This was considered a public validation of the transaction. In this, the path was made clear for Boaz and Ruth to be joined in marriage.[7]

Boaz married Ruth and, consequently, preserved the name of Elimelech, Naomi's deceased husband, a sort of levirate. Their firstborn was considered a son of Elimelech's lineage (Rt-4.5, 10). Boaz purchased the family lands that Naomi had sold, and restituted them to Elimelech's lineage (vv. 3, 7–10). For those substituting, redeeming factors, Ruth's husband is considered by Christians to be an achetype of their messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Although Boaz is noted to be much older than Ruth in the traditional account[8] and he marries her for Naomi's sake, most dramatic adaptations[citation needed] have Boaz as a handsome young man so as to enhance the romantic nature of the story.

The Temple

"Boaz" was the name of the left one of The Two frontal Columns of Solomon's Temple (the other being "Jachin"[10]).[11] Its meaning is under controversy. "MTappar.ref. to" the above Boaz, "cf. 𝔗2 Ch 317 [Qərê, therefore, is very probably an acronym]; Thes supposes name of architect or donor; Ewperh. sons of Solomon, etc.; rd. possibly בְעֹרin strength, 𝔊2 Ch 317ἰσχύς; Th thinks יכין בעז a sentence, one word being engraved on each pilar, he (God) establisheth in strength; against him, however, KeBe; Öt thinks an exclamation, in strength! expressing satisfaction of architect; Kloprop. for בעז, [the expression] בַּעַל עֹר (cf. BI K 721Βαλαζ)"[12]

Conduct

In the Talmud, some rabbis identify Boaz with the judge Ibzan of Bethlehem.[13][14] "I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun"; cf. Joshua 19:15.[15] Let it be taken into consideration, however, that Boaz "of Ruth" was from Judah,[5] whereas the two chiftains immediately ulterior to Ibzan were from Zebulun.[16] A legend is given that he lost all his sixty children during his lifetime because he did not invite Manoah, Samson's father, to any of the marriage festivities at his house.[14] Since Manoah was at that time without children, Boaz thought that he did not need to consider on such occasions a childless man who could not pay him back in kind (Bava Batra 91a).[14]

The midrash Ruth Rabbah states that being a pious man, Boaz on his first meeting with Ruth perceived her conscientiousness in picking up the grain, as she strictly observed the rules prescribed by the Law.[14] This, as well as her grace and her chaste conduct during work, induced Boaz to inquire about the stranger, although he was not in the habit of inquiring after women (Ruth Rabba to ii. 5; Talmudic tractate Shabbat 113b).[14]

In the conversation that followed between Boaz and Ruth, the pious proselyte said that, being a Moabite, she was excluded from association with the community of God (Deuteronomy 23:4).[14] Boaz, however, replied that the prohibition in the Scripture applied only to the men of Moab — and not to the women.[14] He furthermore told her that he had heard from the prophets that she was destined to become the ancestress of kings and prophets; and he blessed her with the words: "May God, who rewards the pious, also reward you" (TargumRuth ii. 10, 11; Pesiḳ, ed. Buber, xvi. 124a).[14] Boaz was especially friendly toward the poor stranger during the meal, when he indicated to her by various symbolic courtesies that she would become the ancestress of the Davidic royal house, including the Messiah (Ruth R. to ii. 14; Shab. 113b).[14] As toward Ruth, Boaz had also been kind toward his kinsmen, Naomi's sons, on hearing of their death, taking care that they had an honorable burial (Ruth Rabba to 2.20).[14]

Boaz and Ruth

Although Boaz was the prince of the people, he himself supervised the threshing of the grain in his barn, in order to circumvent any immorality or theft, both of which were rife in his days (Tan., Behar, ed. Buber, viii.; Ruth Rabba to iii. 7).[8] Glad in his heart that the famine was over in Israel, he sought rest after having thanked God and studied for a while in the Torah (Tan., l.c.; Targum Ruth iii. 7; and Ruth Rabba ib.).[8] Aroused out of his first sleep by Ruth, he was greatly frightened, as he thought that she was a devil; and he was convinced of the contrary only after touching the hair of her head, since devils were believed to be bald (Tan., l.c.).[8] When he perceived the pure and holy intentions of Ruth he not only did not reprove her for her unusual behavior, but he blessed her, and gave her six measures of barley, indicating thereby that six pious men should spring from her, who would be gifted by God with six excellences (cf. Isaiah 11:2; Sanhedrin 93b; Numbers Rabba xiii. 11; Ruth Rabba and Targum to Ruth iii. 15; the names of the six men differ in these passages, but David and the Messiah are always among them).[8] Boaz fulfilled the promises he had given to Ruth, and when his kinsman (the sources differ as to the precise relationship existing between them) would not marry her because he did not know the halakah which decreed that Moabite women were not excluded from the Israelitic community, Boaz himself married her (Ruth Rabba to iv. 1).[8] Boaz was eighty and Ruth forty years old (idem to iii. 10), but their marriage did not remain childless, though Boaz died the day after his wedding (Midrash Zutta, ed. Buber, 55, below).[8]